The worse performance by the MFC since the Neeld era. Worse than the Brisbane performance, I am completely embarrassed to be losing to a club in a rebuilding phase.

You cannot tell me Ollie Sestan offers less than Billings. Play him. Find out.

It's absolutely laughable that some people think we have depth. We have maybe 18 decent players and the rest are very, very ordinary. 

The failure of Goodwin and Lamb to turn over our many C graders and try to find some diamonds in the rough over the past three years is a massive dereliction of duty. 

2 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Here's the good news: we now must play Jefferson. We now must give new recruits a game ahead of Billings - i.e. Tholstrup. It's now patently obvious that our current team being selected is lacking.

I'd give that a go.

To all the posters saying a 6-7 goal win was guaranteed/a must - that mentality is exactly why we lost. Because it was shared by this team. We expected to walk up and win, but the Eagles, like every other team know that if you show up and work hard from the first bounce, you can beat us. Which they did, but in truth they humbled us, and we were also embarrassed by a first year player.

Our midfield is non existent. Our backline was woeful. Cant blame Lever, as you cannot say we are nothing without one guy. 

Umpiring didn’t cost us. 

Outmarked and outworked everywhere.

A disgrace. The team wants to talk about earning respect? None. Zero for tonight and last week we did nothing for a whole half+ 

So disappointed. 

Completely dominated across the board. Very few won their matchups tonight.

Could be the last we see of Ben Brown. 

No excuses. WC thoroughly deserved the win and rarely looked in doubt 

 

We lost to a team that has only won 7 games in 3 years

Hang your heads in shame

Goodwin and the selection committee should resign

This isn't hyperbole, our midfield is one of the worst in the competition.

What was once a strength is now a liability.  Big time.

Harley Reid took more steps than the Crows player yesterday. Totally inconsistent umpiring.

Essendon are 6 points ahead of us. That angers me more.

I don't think we have a great record as naarm

3 minutes ago, Lou C. Fur said:

Performances like that make you wonder whether you renew a membership...

 Not me. I’m here rain, hail or shine. 

Dees sit 7th and is probably a accurate reflection of how they are going, I said it before the year we weren’t a top 4 side anymore and I think that is been born out the more the year goes on. The window on another flag with this specific list is probably over now and we need to reload and go again with some big trades end of the year. Ala how we got Steven May and Jake Lever originally 

We need a mini rebuild. We have made some shocking list management calls since our flag. 
 - Anyone can see we need a key forward, you cannot tell me we hadn’t been able to land one in 3 [censored] years?

- Grundy was a mess

- We let Jordan go yet bring in Billings? I don’t know about you but we could really use a defensive mid right about now. 

We have stagnated since our flag, our stars are now starting to age. And our midfield are no longer formidable. 
Viney is on the downward slope, Oliver is a shell of him self. Trac seems like he has to do it all. 
 

We have drafted some super kids, we need to top up with some more top end talent whilst our stars and carry them through their first few years and have a tilt at the flag again in 3 years time. 

We just regressed by about 8 years tonight.

Absolute insipid performance against one of the worst teams in the AFL bar about 4 to 5 VG players plus the young gun Reid.

Lost at selection by continuing to play an underdone Petty and Brown who are both not even close to the level.  Billings as well... putrid.

Fullarton may not have offered much more but should've played ahead of Brown.

No white line fever from far too many,  no run and foot skills horrid.

How so many looked cooked off a 10 day break is mind boggling.

Why May was not put on to Waterman from the get go is astounding.  

Fritta about the only player that looked as if he new what he was doing.

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE???  Especially through the middle.  The two way running and hunt has dissapeared bar Viney.

Back to the drawing board for all involved.  That was an absolute horror show from start to finish.

Edited May 19, 20241 yr by Demon Dynasty

These games can be ones you look to as a start of the decline, I desperately hope we have more in us but today it really looked like one of those changing of the guard moments seeing Trac and Oliver getting muppetted by Reid. Thought it would be a few years before we'd be saying this.

It will only be that if we let it though.

I wonder whether mcqualter has had a detrimental impact on our midfield, I don't remember watching such an insipid melbourne midfield for a very long time and I haven't seen one that gets continually beaten regardless of the team we are matched up against. 

Everything stems from the midfield, poor entries, lack of territory, having to absorb repeat forward 50 entries in defense. It mostly comes back to mids winning the ball and retaining possession. As i said, i believe this is the worst our midfield has ever functioned in recent memory and i imagine the stats would suggest that as well, but why?

I genuinely can't understand why this is the case this year and i'm wondering whether it is a coaching issue. 

I'm one of the more optimistic posters on here but that was genuinely [censored]. Still think we will be OK but the margin for error is shrinking. There's a few that have to go back to Casey for a while.

Too many hasbeens and NQRs. Also mentally weak - we folded under pressure from a team that wanted it more. 

4 minutes ago, seventyfour said:

2021 feels more and more like a lucky flag in an asterisk* year.

We couldn't win a final in 22 or 23 and this team is far worse.

Will be years before we contend again.

If 2021 was an asterisk year then why did every team even bother play that year? Disrespectful to Melbourne's Premiership team and rest of the competition. Let's just put an asterisk to every year we don't win the premiership while we're at it then.

We’ll respond, then [censored] the bed the following week with another insipid performance.

A lot of teams have overtaken us, it doesn’t look pretty.

Just now, poita said:

It's absolutely laughable that some people think we have depth. We have maybe 18 decent players and the rest are very, very ordinary. 

The failure of Goodwin and Lamb to turn over our many C graders and try to find some diamonds in the rough over the past three years is a massive dereliction of duty. 

18 is generous.

What today’s game showed is that one player can change the fortunes of an entire club and North Melbourne made the stupidest decision you’ll ever see to win that last game of 2023.

The way AFL is currently played, you need elite skills to move the ball quickly and/or legspeed - skimp on either and you’re making up the numbers.

Our best players suit our defensive style very well but if that game doesn’t eventuate, it’s very ugly.

I haven’t seen our midfield play this poorly for a long time. And it’s been over the past 4-5 games

Viney and Clarry the main 2 out of form but Trac only played one Q today. 

Back to the drawing board

Not only embarrasses but disgusted to lose to that club. 

Worst performance since 2019.

Can’t wait to hear @binman defend this midfield mix. Beaten by a 19 year old and the likes of Duggan.

I honestly think Goodwin needs to drop the kick mark style. Go back to our clearance and territory game. As soon as the opposition curtails our uncontested game we turn to water.